What I wore for an evening with Johnny Depp

...Depp's new film, Dark Shadows, that is.

 

 

 

 

 

Outfit details

Prescription eyeglasses: (frames) Venus Eye Design V-12  Pink, purple, and yellow hair flower: Arden  Silver hued heart stud earrings: Claire's  Dark pink cardigan: Value Village  Purple 1970s does 1940s jersey dress: etsy seller: Ma Ptite Chouette Larger purple bangle bracelet: Forever 21  All other bangles: etsy seller Me She Designs  Lip colour: Cover Girl Outlast Lipstain in Wild Berry Wink 440

Photography by Antonio Cangiano

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My relationship with vampires never veered into pop lit territory (save for a brief encounter with Anne Rice when I was about 13, and of course, Bram Stoker's classic), instead I've always preferred my ashen skinned undead as part of the overall package of Halloween.

Like most rules however, there's exceptions to this point, and one of them is when I hear that a certain Mr. Johnny Depp has a new movie out in which he plays a vampire who's unearthed for the first time in 200 years only to find he's suddenly smack dab in the crazy days of the 1970s.

It had been a long time since I last went to the movies. Try as I might to peg exactly when then was, I can't seem to. I'd say at least 1.5, but maybe as many as 2 to 2.5 years ago. When I heard that my local movie theater (where I saw many a film as a youngster) was slatted to be closed shortly (a new, much larger one is being built in a different part of the downtown area) however, I knew that I had to visit it one last time - so long as I could get my health to cooperate long enough.

Fortunately such was a the case one cloudy, rain drenched weekend evening recently, so Tony and I met up with my mom and step-dad and headed down a familiar haunt. It was a very pleasant treat to find ticket prices considerably lower here than in Toronto, and also to settle into a quaint little screening room comprised of just a few rows of seats on both sides of a single aisles. We all ended up adoring the film and agreeing that it's one we'll definitely have to watch again come this Halloween and many Octobers thereafter.

The rain was still pouring down when we left the theater and the sun had all but vanished, so we headed back home (after a quick stop by Dairy Queen) and there Tony snapped a few quick photos of me in our dining room. I was really touched when earlier in the evening Tony said that he loved my hair (and generously sized hair flower), and that he continued to shower me with compliments all night long.

This purple dress is just about as comfy as a vintage frock can possibly be. The classic jersey fabric is simultaneously loss fitting and figure flattering, making it an excellent choice for periods of being seated for a long time, such as at the movies, on an airplane, or while taking a road trip.

Earlier this spring I found this cute plumy-carnation hued cardigan at Value Village with the original tags still on it (I got it for about 1/10th of the original asking price, plus a further 30% off that thanks to a coupon I had - hard to beat that!), and it too is wildly cozy and perfect for a night spent inside a room where one never knows what the AC is going to be up to.

I hope that you sweet gals don't mind my attention grabbing title post today. I'm not usually one to do such things, but as it really is an extremely rare treat for me to get out and head to the movies, so seeing Johnny's new vampire film almost is as exciting for me as an evening spent with the actor himself (*almost!*).

If you haven't seen Dark Shadows yet and are a fan of comedic horror flicks (with an awesome camp factor), I highly recommend this movie - it's really one you can sink your teeth fangs into!

They’re creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky

✯ Day 297 of Vintage 365 ✯

Though I've really been feeling softer hues and highly elegant Halloween elements this month, as October 31st draws ever more delightfully near, I can't help but yearn for a bit of spooky, dark fright night fun, too.

A marriage of both of those (masked) faces of Halloween lands you somewhere in the territory of glam goth, which in a roundabout way is where my creative inspiration stems from as we count down the last week until October 31st.

Though many of us think of the Addams family as being tied to either the classic television show of the 1960s or the movies that followed later in 90s, the creation of this much loved clan of morbid characters stretches back considerably farther, all the way until 1938 in fact.

Dreamed up by an American cartoonist by the name of Charles Samuel Addams, the Addams Family first appeared in a long running series of single panel cartons that appeared in the New Yorker magazine (between 1938 and 1988, when Charles Addams passed away), before making their way in the sixties to TV screens around the world.

I think it's safe to say that unless one has been living under a rock (or in this case, perhaps a tombstone), you're familiar with the Addams Family.

You know the cast - kooky Gomez, enchanting Morticia, odd-ball Uncle Fester, tenacious young Pugsley, goth-before-it-was-cool-to-be-goth Wednesday, venerable Grandmama with her somewhat cynical sense of humour, lumbering butler Lurch, the furry rapscallion called Cousin Itt, and of course, that most unique of disembodied hands, Thing – and you likely have a favourite or two.

Hands down (or would that be Things down in this case? ), Morticia was always my favourite of the Addams family members. However, it was the eccentric, endearing antics of the whole family that really made me a fan of this classic spooky family.

Well, that and the fact that they seemed to perpetually live in a Halloween world filled 24/7, which struck me as too incredibly awesome for words to me when I was a little girl (who grew up both watching reruns of the black and white TV show from the 60s and the spirited movies in the 90s).

I always adored the fact that the Addams family members were portrayed as being virtually oblivious to the fact that they struck the rest of the world (especially those neighbours whose houses shared a street with the family's fabulous Victorian mansion) as being bizarre, eerie, and off-beat.

The various Addams relatives may have come across as ghoulish at first glance, but in reality they weren't terrifying, dangerous or evil in the slightest.

As the classic Addams Family theme song (seen in the Youtube clip above) for their TV show said, They’re creepy and they're kooky, mysterious and spooky, they're altogether ooky.

The Addams family captures the wonderful old fashioned fun of Halloween, with a peppering of the (playful) macabre thrown in for good measure. And that, my dear friends, is precisely the vibe I'm challenging this week in the lead up to my favourite holiday of the year!

What to play blog tag with me?

If I were to assign a theme to this month, it would most definitely be "catching up". When I took a few days off (from blogging) earlier in February, I made a list of things that I wanted to try and devote some time to catching up on. That inventory included no less than twenty eight different online activities – and twelve “real world” ones – that I planned to focus a percentage of my time on. I knew that I wouldn’t be able to get completely up to speed on such a tall stack of projects, commitments, interests, etc, but so far I have made noticeable strides towards brining several of these areas up-to-date.

As to be expected, some areas have required more time than I’d initially suspected. With others however, I was able to take care of much quicker than I’d initially suspected (and a few haven’t even been touched yet, but I will get to them sooner or later!). Along the way, as certain “catch-up” jobs were checked off my list, others (that I’d either forgotten about or which emerged through the process of working on different tasks) popped up and are now goals for the next few weeks (and months).

I plan to keep pushing myself quite hard (but not, I hope, too hard) to catch-up on various tasks over the last few days of February. When the first of March rolls around, I’m going to revise my list and readjust where I’m spending my time, as necessary (and will be spending more visiting other people’s wonderful blogs again). I’m finding that having a working list like this is really helping me feel less like I’m falling hopelessly behind on everything I want to accomplish online (and to a less extent, off-line, too) – a sensation that had been plaguing me for years, I came to realize this month.

All work and no play however, is bound to burn anyone out! (And, let’s face it, even when you enjoy writing most of them, anytime you reply to more than four hundred different emails in less than three weeks, that constitutes work!) So I thought that I’d put my goal (perhaps the largest one on my list) of reaching "inbox zero" on hold for a few moments and have fun answering some questions that I was tagged with, by the immensely sweet Nicolette of Simply Colette, all the way back at the start of last October.

If you’ve not had the great pleasure of visiting Nicolette yet, I highly recommend you zip by her site. It’s a treasure trove of beautiful and imaginative images, inspiring ideas and terrific writing from one of the loveliest souls I’ve met online.

Today’s game of blog tag consists of answering five questions (the replies for which sound like the makings of a fantastic party or evening in with friends), so I’m going to do just that – followed by a list of ten other bloggers who are welcome to carry on this enjoyable post, if they’d like (as always, anyone who reads this post is welcome to keep the meme going themselves, even if I don’t specifically tag you).


Tag, I’m it!


{Two adorable children run gleefully after one another down a street in New York, perhaps engaged in their game of tag, in this snapshot from 1942. Vintage photo via epicharmus’ Flickr stream.}


What books are on your favourite shelf?
As a lifelong bookworm and very avid reader, this question is always tricky for me to answer concisely for there is such an overabundance of books that I consider to be true favourites. However, if I stick to the parameters of the question and base my answers of off books that I actually own a copy of (and thus have on my bookshelf) at the moment, a roundup of my favourites would have to include the following (which I think lend credence to my deeply eclectic tastes).




-Forties Fashion: From Siren Suits to the New Look by Jonathan Walford (Without a doubt, this is the most in-depth, well researched, engagingly written book I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading on the subject of fashion and the impact that clothing had on the world during the 1940s. If I could only have one title on my shelf about clothing from the forties, hands down, this image laden book would be it.)




-Collected Poems 1947-1997 Allen Ginsberg (Legend, master, artist, historian, inspiration, Allen Ginsberg was all these things and countless more. His work, at times avant-garde, at others hauntingly ageless, was one of my first introductions to the world of The Beat Generation writers as child, and remains to this day a beloved favourite of mine.)




-Pattern: Using Pattern to Create Sophisticated, Show Stopping Interiors by Tricia Guild (While I can see their appeal, I’ve never been a fan of stark white, minimally furnished rooms – even if my husband fancies them! Give me colour, depth, artistry, soul and intrigue on – and between the – the walls of a home and I’m a happy interior design camper. No other book I’ve encountered thus far brings so much beauty, vibrancy and allure into the rooms it highlights – all the while melding a menagerie of design styles and decades together – as this beguiling title does. From the moment you pick up this hefty book with its flocked flower pattern bedecked cover, you know you’re in a massive treat - and each page that follows confirms and exceeds that expectation.)




-French Inspired Jewelry: Creating with Vintage Beads, Buttons & Babbles by Kaari Meng (Whether you love to create your own jewelry or wear the works of others, this book – by celebrated jewelry artesian owner of the famed Hollywood store French General - is an absolute must for those who adore shabby chic, French provincial, Victorian and vintage styles. Aside from being easy to follow and well explained, each project is presented against a backdrop of the incredibly pretty little treasures, turning the images into scrapbook-like works of charming, timelessly wonderful art in and of themselves.)




-The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics (While my fashion preferences veer towards the 1940s and 50s, my taste in music encompasses groups and artists from every era, and like many people, I’m a massive fan of the Beatles. From their early bubble gum tunes to the soul-gripping songs like "Let It Be", and everything in between, there is so much to adore and extract inspiration from in the Beatles’s work. This book is a thrill for the senses. Each pair of pages highlights one of the many songs from the Beatles' vast catalog, coupled with a mod era illustration that promises to evoke memories (even if you weren’t alive during the 1960s) and help you fall even further in love with the Fab Four.)


What DVDs are on your favourite shelf?
Truth be told, we really do not own many DVDs. We tend to watch our movies at the theatre, on TV or via services like zip.ca (a Canadian site that's similar to NetFlicks), so my answers come from the “shelf of life” rather than the literal spot on our little TV stand where our teensy DVD collection residess.

Five fantastic movies that I would recommend everybody watches at least once in their lifetime, and each of which has impacted me deeply for various reasons, are:




The Pianist (2002)




La Dolce Vita (1960)



The Secret Life of Words (2005) (I saw this movie last year for the first time and must say it was the most stirring and touching film I watched in 2009. In my opinion it truly should have been an Oscar nominee – if not a winner - in two categories: best actress [Sarah Polley] and best film.)




8MM (1999)




The Illusionist (2006)


What are your two favourite cookbooks?
It’s impossible for me to narrow down this epically diverse category into two all-time favourites. For as long as I can recall, I’ve adored reading and learning from cookery and gastronomy related books. I read them with the fervour and intensity that many do novels, and value the wisdom and inspiration that comes from cookbooks no end. To that extent, I would say two of my perpetual favourite cookbooks are:



-Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes by Tessa Kiros (For me cookbooks have always been about so much more than just recipes on paper. What endears me to a title that devotes itself to the realm of food is the writer’s ability to draw me into their kitchen, their relationship with what they eat and prepare for their family, and their admiration for culinary ingredients. Few writers have mastered the skill of transmitting this information – nor presented it so exquisitely beautifully – as Tessa Kiros does in this visually lyrical tome of recipes gathered from her diverse travels around the globe.)




-The Silver Spoon (The use of the word "tome" is often applied liberally to books of all kind, but this classic Italian masterpiece (first published in 1950) truly qualifies for that prestigious title. Overflowing with more than 2000 recipes from every corner of Italy, this book jumps right to the point, filling each page with an average of two or three different recipes, from those that almost verge on being ostentatious to the most humble of “cucina povera” dishes. If you’re serious about cooking, eating, and getting to be know the world of Italian food, The Silver Spoon is worthy of a spot on your kitchen counter and bookshelf alike – it certainly has one on mine :-))


Select 1-3 recipes you would cook for your guests

{Nothing like the joy of whipping up a wonderful meal for a group of dear friends! Vintage image from 1948 of a woman hard at work baking bread from the pages of the Life Magazine photo archives.}


As some of you may know, cooking is a profound passion of mine and there are few things in this world I gather pleasure from more than preparing a meal for those dear to me. Given that many of us are still trapped in the throes of winter, I would invite every one of my dear readers over for a warming, relaxed weekend lunch, during which I’d feed you my Creamy Gala Apple, Butternut Squash and Carrot Soup, Balderson Cheddar and Fresh Thyme Country Biscuits, and Cinnamon, Vanilla Bean and Bosc Pear Bread Pudding for dessert.


What will be drinking that’s available?

{It would be so marvellously lovely to partake in afternoon tea with all you! Glamorous vintage image from ∆Sabine Davis∆’s Flickr stream.}

Sticking with the theme of ensuring we’re all toasty, I’d heat as many kettlefuls of water as needed and lay out a spread of teas and tisanes for all of us to pick and choose from. Naturally I'd ensure they were served with a selection of honeys, sugars, milk, cream, soy milk, cinnamon sticks, and citrus slices.


Tag, you’re it!


{Though this photo which hails from 1901 is technically more on the antique side, I thought it was too preciously adorable not to include in this post centred around playing tag. Image from jflangjr’s Flickr stream.}


A Vintage Chic

Just a Happy Housewife

The Frog’s Eyebrows

A Chock-Full of Rants and Raves from a Thirty-Something Mama

Roses R Red

The Art of Living Beautifully

Random Thoughts of a Very Boring Girl

Rue and Hyssop

It’s All Make-Believe, Isn’t It?

Madeleine’s Wunderkammer

I should note that if you want to carry on this game of tag, there are no real rules. I answered the same questions that Nicolette had on her blog, but you could change them up if you wanted. Please let me know if you keep this game going, I’d love to read your replies!


Thank you very much for this delightfully enjoyable tag, Nicolette dear! It was oodles of fun to escape from more mundane activities this evening and share some of my favourite books, films and recipes with my treasured readers.

Pretty Link Roundup {September 28, 2009}

Happy start of the week, sweet dears, how are you each on this last Monday in September. All is right as rain on this end, in fact it is raining, which often sets my moods off on a rather chipper note (I was born in Vancouver, what do you expect? ;D). I love a rainy day (or two, when it heads into twenty plus days of rain in a row like I experienced occasionally when I used to live in Ireland, well, that is something of another matter), the sound of falling precipitation, the cigarette ash hue the sky often takes on, the way the world seems to be given a good scrubbing for a little while, all of these things add up to more than enough reasons for me to extract joy from a rainy day



{This photo of Times Square in New York taken in the 1940s speaks directly to my love of a cityscape glistening with rain. The vibrancy and sense of motion in this shot is so intense you almost want to grab an umbrella - lest the drops starting hitting your head - just looking at it. Photo from the pages of Straatis' Flickr stream.}


Coolers days have always brought me greater mental clarity. In this sense I’ve come to learn I’m not alone, other too (including my husband) agree that they feel their brains function more sharply once summer has hightailed it out of town. When I lived in the western part of Canada, I can’t say as though I noticed this seasonal affect as deeply, but when the ravenous Ontario humidity came into the picture along with the toasty heat of summer, my mind suddenly felt as though it had turned into pabulum. It is not just the ol’ brain either, my entire body generally feels more up to snuff when the mercury refuses to climb above the low twenties. Anything between minus twenty and plus twenty five and I’m a pretty content camper, or should I say “blogger”.

I had a busy and wonderful weekend. My favourite part of it was on Saturday when we went to the Ontario Science Center for their 40th anniversary celebration bash, admission was free (hard to beat that price!) so naturally the place was crowded to the rafters, but we had a marvelous time despite the crowds and (among other activities) took in a screening of the IMAX film “Under the Sea”, which was narrated by Jim Carrey.

The entirely funny thing about our attendance that day though, was that we were planning to go to the Science Centre that day anyhow! We had wanted to go for some time, but various reasons had kept us away all summer long. Fortunately I wasn’t feeling too rough that day, so we figured we better jump on the chance to visit the Science Centre while we the opportunity to do so. We didn’t find out about the fact that a party was going on there until moments before we left the house (darling hubs wanted to check online how late they were open) – talk about a neat little slice of serendipity!

On the blogging front numerous interesting and exciting links have popped up lately – and much like our admission on Saturday, enjoying the afternoon with all of these stories is entirely free :)


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* Fashion Extremes: While fashion runaways often spill over with garments that are, in one way or another, excessive, this trend certainly didn’t start recently. Here Poke Salad Annie takes on a visual journey through some mid-twentieth century looks that veered towards the extreme, while still somehow managing to look infinitely more wearable than most of what comes down the catwalk today.


* What’s happened to our bodies?: Via the ever-wonderful Beauty is a thing of the past, an interesting article that compares the way women’s bodies have transformed in size and shape over the past six decades, from UK newspaper The Daily Mail, recently came to my attention. The piece looks at some of the medical, dietary and sociological reasons behind the change in body shape amongst British (and while not stated outright, American) woman and certainly provides some interesting food for thought.


* 1930s fashion plates: Sarai brings us a dose of visual loveliness via numerous (coloured) fashion plates from the 1930s. Each plate is a joy, but I especially like the one of the two women in navy blue dresses with coordinating jackets. Which look is your favourite?


* Betsy McCalls Paperdolls in publication from 1951-1961: While I was born decades too late to play with Betsy McCall paper dolls as a child, I’ve long admired the detailed beauty in these fragile paper gems. Here Alana takes us on a historical ride through the history of the Betsy McCall dolls, complete with several colour images of these adorable vintage playthings.


* A vintage kitchen cupboard medicinal: The dear soul behind A Stitch In Time is feeling a bit under the weather at the moment, but that didn’t stop her from putting together a thoroughly lovely – and useful – post highlighting several classic medicinal remedies such as baking soda, citrus juice, and salt for common ailments that have been plaguing humanity since the dawn of time. (Heartfelt wishes for a very speedy recovery to you, Analiebe!)


* The Value in Tailored Vintage: Melody from A Vintage Ramble raises some excellent points in favour of why tracking down vintage pieces that were once custom tailored can be well worth it (especially given the absurdly high prices modern hand-tailored pieces often fetch).


* Peter Pan Collars: Adore Vintage takes a quick peek at the adorable, rounded style of collar known by the name “Peter Pan”, which can look so lovely on a variety of vintage (and modern) styles.


* Retro Clocks at Target: Atomic Addiction corrals a list of some absolutely wonderful vintage/retro looking (think Atomic Era/Mad Men), reasonably priced wall clocks that are currently available from US retailer Target.


* Silver Screen Sunday {Pin-up Girl}: Recently Andi B. Goode began a weekly series of posts in which she highlights a vintage era movie and then rounds up fashion pieces that you can find today, to help you recreate the film’s iconic style. Most recently she shone the spotlight on Betty Grable’s classic “Pin-up Girl”, with fashion and hair ideas to help you recreate the curvy blonde starlet’s classic bombshell look.


* Beauty tips for red heads: Over at Time Machine to the Twenties, Amanda has been dishing up some fantastic old school Good Housekeeping beauty advise for redheaded gals this past week. A trio of posts on the subject cover skin care, lipstick, and what colours to wear, and are a wonderful read whether you were blessed with ruby locks or not.

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I wish to present this week’s Your Blog is an Inspiration award to my lovely, effervescent, delightfully creative friend, Maggi (~*Just Add Glitter and Stir*~). From the moment I encountered her wonderful site (seriously it’s bedecked with red sparkles and polka dots, what’s not to love?), I knew I had found a soul with which I had a lot in common. From a passion for vintage to an adoration of crating (she’s especially talented at scrapbooking), as well as a mutual love of Pullip dolls, I knew that she and I we would hit it off, and we certainly have.



Maggi, you and your site – and the marvelously cool creations you share with us – are a perpetual source of inspiration. I always leave your blog with a smile on my face and the urge to be intensely crafty all of a sudden in my heart. Thank you for being the amazing, artistic, friendly, caring, sweet person that you are!

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Inspired by a yummy Indian meal I cooked last week to celebrate autumn’s arrival (something about the saturated, earthly tones of many Indian spices and ingredients correlates with fall in my mind), I thought it would be fun to share a clip featuring numerous scenes of enchantingly pretty women from various vintage and retro Bollywood films with you. I admit to knowing little about specific Bollywood films and so cannot begin to tell you where the clips in this video hail from originally, but what I do know is that the ladies it features each possess a captivating and alluring sense of glamour that is as timeless as India itself.


{Beauties of Bollywood Past}



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I began this post much earlier in the day, since then night has rolled in, but the drizzling rain remains. As I type these words it occurs to me that this is the first night in many months I’ve felt the need to put on cozy autumn-appropriate socks and wrap myself up in a blanket. And so I did both things, Stella curled up in a state of feline slumber by my side, no doubt hoping for the return of her winter coat, and smiled even more than I had when I awoke this morning to rain. It’s the simple joys of the season that have the most impact on my soul.

May you each have countless reasons of your own to be happy this week!

A League of Their Own: one of my greatest childhood muses {Monday Muses, July 6th}

The evening dusk rolled in like a jukebox tune, warn, pulsating and full of vibrant energy, as eager young eyes peered up from the back of a minivan at what seemed like a mile-wide screen. Barely eight years old, I was enamoured from the split second the opening credits began to roll, the thermal crackling of the summer air mixing with a parade of drive-in theater sounds. By the time film’s main characters Dottie and Kit were chasing each other down the dusty country road, I had a newfound favourite childhood movie.

Set in the heart of WW2, the movie I’m talking about is A League of Their Own, staring Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna. A dramatic comedy about the founding of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League that came into existence in the wake of thousands of US men (including many professional ball players) being deployed overseas during the war, while the US public back home still pined for a day out at the field.


{Movie poster for A League of Their Own. Image from the blog Sports Talk 90.3.}

More than just the historical context of film, I was enthralled by two distinct elements: the fashions (both on and off the diamond) that the early 40s ladies wore, and the sense of independence and determination these headstrong gals put forth in an era when women were still by-and-large expected to follow traditional roles (of which being a ball player did not fit the mold).

Though I was already a tremendous fan of the 1940s and 50s thanks to movies like Grease, White Christmas and Meet Me in St. Louis, and the influence of a close friend whose parents were really into hot rods, this movie embedded an even more profound adoration of the forties deep in my young soul. Lifting it beyond just a beloved film, and into a muse that to this day is no less inspirational than it was back in 1992, when this movie hit the big screen.


{Tom Hanks and Geena Davis sit in the dugout during a scene from A League of Their own. Image from the blog Alien Citizen.}

This week, with my birthday approaching in a few days, I wanted to pay a homage to one of my greatest vintage influences, by making A League of Their Own not just my Monday Muse, but also by indoctrinating into my Lifelong Muse Hall of Frame.

While this movie is fiction, it is rooted strongly in actual fact; the AAGPBL was real, existing between the years of 1943 and 1954. Today a terrific website exists that's dedicated to preserving the legacy of this fascinating slice of American sports history, as does a National Baseball Hall of Fame exhibition about the AAGPBL.


{Lovely photo of assorted ASGPBL memorabilia and a uniform. From the Baseball Hall of Fame's website.}

In reading about the real ladies at bat, it’s interesting to learn that much as in the film itself, the players were required to attend Charm School, had female chaperons and were expected to follow a set of dress code guidelines both on and off the field.


{AAGPBL players in uniform. Photo via the San Fransisco State University's website.}

If like myself, you’re an avid fan of this movie and/or mid-century women’s baseball, you may have thought to yourself before how wonderful it would be to own a real AAGPBL uniform. No doubt this would be amazing, but it would likely also cost you a small fortune (unless you were lucky enough to have a relative who played for an AAGPBL team who would be willing to let you have her uniform), based on the prices I’ve read that these beautiful pieces of baseball history now sell for.


{Examples of reproduction uniforms from K & P Weaver's website.}

All hope is not lost though, K & P Weaver, LLC, a US based historical baseball uniform seller reproduces AAGPBL uniforms and ball caps in the original styles and colours of the teams that composed the league. Whether you want to be a Rockford Peach (the team Dottie and Kit both started out playing for) or a Racine Belle (the team Kit was traded to towards the end of the movie) – or any of the other teams that comprised the AAGPBL, for $225 (US) you too can own a cotton twill uniform that looks a far sight prettier than any of the modern day iterations of women’s baseball wear. It is my sincere hope that one day I’ll be able to purchase one of these gorgeous re-creation uniforms, not only to wear from time-to-time, but also as a means of further honouring my love of a League of Their Own.


{Gena Davis and fellow Rockford Peaches team members excitedly embrace each other after winning a game. Image from Hollywood.com.}

While this film (and the story of the real-life AAGPBL) didn’t inspire me to become a world class ball player, it did touch my life on a profound level. It helped to show a young girl an era which was comprised of hardship and glamour, tenacity and the emergence of women’s empowerment; spawned my love of swing dance, forties hairstyles and headstrong female characters, who, as this movie’s tagline proclaimed, believed that “To achieve the incredible you have to attempt the impossible”. Like the title of one of the songs in the A League of Their Own's soundtrack, Now and forever, this movie will be one of my all-time greatest Muses.

Monday Muses {May 11th}

Much as their respective cuisines have long vied to come out as the best in Europe – if not the world – so too have the fashions and lifestyles of France and Italy been friendly rivals. I adore both, be it pasta or patisserie, Gaultier or Gucci. Yet I married an Italian man, hailing straight from the heart of Italia, and as such this fascinating, at times dauntingly beautiful culture permeates my life.


{Charming Barilla pasta advertisement from 1952, discovered through Design o’Blog’s artfully inspiring post 22 Beautiful Vintage Italian Posters.}

This week’s Muse is the Italy of the past. The sort of picturesque, crumbling brick building laden, wildly sophisticated, sometimes dirt poor sometimes dizzyingly rich world that was Italy pre, during, and post World War Two. When Sophia Loren and Gina Lollabrigida captivated silver screen audiences, it was de rigeur for widowed ladies to don head to toe black, Ferragamo’s creations were on the feet of many Italian fashion lovers, and over in America songsters with Italian surnames like Sinatra were ruling the charts.


{Gina Lollabrigida appears so sweetly girl next door while she posses in a beautiful summer dress. Photo via The Florentine.}

For Italian vintage pieces head right to the source – or if a trip abroad isn’t in the cards – to the website of an Italian vintage clothier such as Pitti Vintage in Florence whose site is in English. Who knows what sort treasures could be unearthed while riffling through a second hand or vintage shop in Italy. Maybe something incredible created by the likes of Sorelle Fontana, Fendi, Fernanda Gattinoni, Valentino, or Missoni. Though amazing as couture designers can be, I think I’d be very happy to find authentic Italian pieces hailing from the forties and fifties, the sort of that your everyday sort of woman wore.

While there are many wonderful Italian movies that were made in the mid-twentieth century, spanning from the heart wretchingly touching to the quirkily odd, without a doubt my all time favourite is Fellini’s 1960 classic, La Dolce Vita, which stared an impeccably well dressed and handsomely dashing Marcello Mastroianni as a journalist in the 1950s. More than the film’s plot itself (pure Fellini all the way), it is the culture – presented in black and white – of Italy during this time period, from upper class night clubs and a castle to the back streets of Rome that hold my attention rapt. It’s easy and more than a little romantic to image oneself in the sort of dreamy, devil may care world La Dolce Vita embodied (even if it did not reflect that Italy that most post WW2 Italians knew).


{Looking ravishingly beautiful as she played a character with striking similarities to Maryiln Monroe, Anita Ekberg exudes flirtatious beauty as she takes a dip in a Roman fountain. Movie still from the Wiki page on La Dolce Vita.}

To me vintage Italian style is about clean lines and subtle but feminine pieces. Full or pencil skirts, sweaters belted to reveal a woman’s curves, elegant heels, sultry swimwear. It is less flashy than modern Italian fashion, but no less desirable. The same of which could be said for life in Italy itself.

{Viva vintage Italia!}

1. Red Suede Platforms, 2. sophia 1961, 3. vintage poster - Olio Radino, 4. Coffee machine old italian style {Click on a link to see a larger version of a particular image and/or for photographer information}

Ciao until the next post, my bellissima vintage dears.

Monday Muses {April 27th}

While Gene Kelly was happy to be singing in the rain, I can’t say as though I’m quite as chipper as he was about the moisture that Mother Nature has been throwing our way for the past several days. I don’t hate rain, not at all – in fact, to me falling asleep to sound of raining softly hitting a roof is one of the single most serene and soothing noises on earth – but given the very short springs that tend to come Ontario’s way (blink and you’re apt to miss spring entirely, and instead be left wondering how you went from -30°C to +30°C over night), it would be rather nice if we could have a few weeks that were neither plagued by snow/rain or suffocating humidity.


{A sweetly flirtatious pin-up model has fun in the rain, in this image I discovered through Photobucket.}

Still, as the old expression we all know by heart goes, April showers bring May flowers, and I am gleeful about the thought of seeing new blooms again soon.

All the rain lately though has shifted my colour mood into the arena of greys and blues, some sombre, others blissfully cheery. In the latter category I would most certainly place the incredibly gorgeous, flat-out amazing outfit that the beautiful Super Kawaii Mama recently wore for Easter. Not only is that full skirt and tattoo inspired necklace too cool for words, her fire engine red crinoline quite literally has me going weak in the knees! That, my vintage dears, is one heck of a stellar outfit!

However, if you were venturing out on a blustery day in such pretty attire, you would definitely want to come prepared with an umbrella and perhaps a hat, such as any one of three these wildly fashionable ladies are gracefully wearing (if you look carefully the hat on the right even appears to have some sort of see-through plastic/cellophane – or other material – on it which might have helped to make it more weather resistant).


{Image served up via myvintagevogue's inspirational hotbed of a Flickr stream.}

If however you’re more in the mood to snuggle inside your nest on a drizzly day, why not whip up something crafty, homemade or otherwise yummy in one of esty artisan Boojiboo’s incredibly charming umbrella print, vintage inspired aprons! (They’re also available in a bounty of other vintage themed prints and styles; this particular design sells for $28.75US)



Alternatively I always find it so relaxing to cuddle up with a classic mid-twentieth century read on a stormy day, such as Richard Llewllyn’s How Green Was My Valley (the 1941 movie version of which I also highly recommend) or Christopher Morley’s Kitty Foyle (which also went on to be adapted into a movie; it stared Ginger Rogers and coined a new name for a popular style of dress at the time featuring a dark body and sleeves with white or light coloured cuffs and a collar, the Kitty Foyle dress).


{The always wonderful Ginger Rogers in sporting a Kitty Foyle dress in the movie of the same name. Found amongst the many movie themed pages of a75’s Flickr stream.}

As the week begins anew and seven crisp days of possibility lay ahead of us, I hope that the rain will soon go its separate way and leave me with a touch of balmy weather before my city does its Amazon rain forest impression. In case it doesn’t though, I’ll just have to take my wardrobe cue from the images in this Polyvore set I whipped up, and give singing in the rain the old college try :)


{Rainy Day Blues.}